Surnames, DNA, and Family History

by George Redmonds, Turi King, David Hey

This book combines linguistic and historical approaches with the latest techniques of DNA analysis and shows the insights these offer for every kind of genealogical research. It focuses on British names, tracing their origins to different parts of the British Isles and Europe and revealing how names often remain concentrated in the districts where they first became established centuries ago. In the process the book casts fresh light on the ancient peopling of theBritish Isles. The authors consider why some names die out while others spread across the globe. They use recent advances in DNA testing to investigate whether particular surnames have single, dual, or multiple origins, and to find out if the various forms of a single name have a common origin. Theyshow how information from DNA can be combined with historical evidence and techniques to distinguish between individuals with the same name and different names with similar spellings, and to identifty the name of the same individual or family spelt in various ways in different times and places.The final chapter of this paperback edition, looking at the use of genetics in historical research, has been updated to include new work on the DNA of Richard III.

Genres: Nonfiction, Genetics

263 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2011

Reviews

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Surnames, DNA & Family History" - written by George Redmonds, Turi King and David Hey, and published in 2011 by Oxford University Press. This was a very interesting scholarly discussion of surnames of the British Isles. As a dedicated researcher of my own family line, of which only 1/32nd is British (so far), I appreciated the historical summary related to surnames. "Before the Norman Conquest no-one in England possessed a surname" and "By 1377-81 most English surnames had been formed."

The reasons surnames were formed are varied and fascinating to consider with a primary one being the need for an identifier to attach to property transactions. Some surnames have been lost to time - "...the Black Death of 1348-50 reduced the English population by more than one-third, perhaps one-half" and others have "daughtered out" and failed to produce sons to carry on the name. My own surnames of HALL and HASTINGS were not discussed, but many others appeared in short discussions that traced their origins back in time.

The DNA portion of the book concentrated on Y-DNA only, but the authors recognized that DNA studies "...have to be considered alongside those of linguistic, genealogical, and historial research." Sources used to track surnames included the 1881 Census of England, parish records, the 1660-70 hearth tax returns and even into medieval times with the poll taxes of the 1370s. I look forward to investigating these and other books suggested in the bibliography at the back to further my own research.

[Johanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only three stars because the genetics made my brain hurt! It ix a really interesting and detailed look at surnames both in terms of source and distribution and then moves forward to consider the use of DNA in both surnames and family history.
Much of what we thought was true for the derivation of surnames is being reconsidered as historians and geneticists reconsider earlier work which was often driven linguistically with little or no reference to the actual history of the areas suggested.
If you are even vaguely considering paying for DNA tests to further family history investigation this book is a really good start point. You need to understand what can be revealed and what substance there may be in the claims of less rigorous service providers.

[Sue Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about the uses of Y-DNA sequences, particularly in surname research. Y-DNA is, of course, only of value to male genealogy and since there are not massive numbers of haplotypes and it mutates only very slowly, it isn't much use for family history tracing. Convinced me not to persuade my husband to get a Y-DNA test to try and sort out which John Terry was his nxgreat grandfather - all the John Terrys in Kent are likely to have near identical Y-DNA.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY USEFULL LITTLE BOOK.

HIGHLEY RECCOMEND.


THIS EVEN COVERS IF YOU FIND OUT ABOUT A FAMILY SECRET MARRIAGE.

GOOD TO KNOW AS I MAY HAVE HIT UOONE THIS TOPIC.

WORTH MORE THEN 5 STARS.

[Nicky]

Very useful if your primary interest is understanding a surname, its origins and variants. Probably now a bit dated on some of the DNA stuff - and only really applies to Y chromosome, male line genealogy anyway.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful resource but a little dated now and too technical for me.

[Mad Hab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice book. Probably a lot has changed since its publication, but still the book is informative from both the perspectives of the scientific methods and the findings.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information was good, but I didn't particularly enjoy reading it - perhaps because the focus was on English families and thus English local history, and that is not my area of interest.

[Jessica Feinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!